Risk factors for high blood pressure - and the serious health conditions that can follow.

Nearly 1 in 3 American adults and 1 in 5 Canadians have high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases your risk of serious conditions including coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and more. However, many people are unaware they even have it since high blood pressure itself normally shows no symptoms.

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Some of the major risk factors for high blood pressure include:

Age -- Males over 45 and females over 55 have a higher risk of high blood pressure.

Race/ethnicity -- Anyone can have high blood pressure, but it's especially prevalent in African- Americans, often with an earlier onset and increased severity. Plus, African-Americans have a higher rate of death from stroke and kidney disease than Caucasian or Hispanic- American adults.

Family history of high blood pressure and prehypertension (a blood pressure reading of 120-139/80-89 mmHg).

The sodium connection -- For some people, too much sodium in the diet can lead to higher blood pressure. Sodium keeps excess fluid in the body, which puts a strain on the heart. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eating less sodium can help prevent, lower or even control blood pressure. A CDC study shows that 2 out of 3 adults in the United States are at high risk from sodium-related health problems.

You'll often see blood pressure readings written as systolic (blood pressure when the heart is pumping blood) over diastolic (blood pressure when the heart is at rest - between beats) and looks something like 120/80. Blood pressure can vary throughout the day and by stress or activity levels. If your numbers are above 120 (systolic) or 80 (diastolic) most of the time, however, you may be developing or already have high blood pressure and should talk with a doctor.

get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least 5 days per week.

stay within a healthy weight range

stop or don't start smoking

manage the stress in your life

The salt and high blood pressure connection

You may be consuming too much sodium

Our bodies need sodium: it regulates blood pressure and blood volume and plays a key role in muscle and nerve function. But too much sodium in your diet can pose health hazards, including high blood pressure and increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The good news? You can help reduce your daily sodium intake with some simple dietary changes.

Social stress can increase inflammation

In the study, 124 volunteers were placed in awkward social situations: giving an impromptu speech, performing difficult mental arithmetic and taking part in an online game. In all scenarios, participants were subjected to social rejection.

Researchers discovered that participants who showed increased activity in brain regions that responded to social stress also had increases in inflammatory activity when exposed to acute social stress in the lab.

"This is further evidence of how closely our mind and body are connected," said George Slavich, a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. "We have known for a long time that social stress can 'get under the skin' to increase risk for disease, but it's been unclear exactly how these effects occur. To our knowledge, this study is the first to identify the neurocognitive pathways that might be involved in inflammatory responses to acute social stress."

Researchers noted that chronic inflammation can put people at risk for a variety of health conditions including heart disease, depression, certain cancers and more.

Researchers followed 4,512 Scottish men for four years and found that those men who spent two or more hours in front of a screen every day were 125% more at risk of a cardiac event than those who watched less. Those who watched four
hours or more were 48% more likely to die from any cause.

Scientists concluded that inflammation and metabolic risk factors partly played a role. C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation, was two times higher in those with four or more hours of screen time than those with less than two hours.

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5.
Eat yogurt or other sources of beneficial bacteria daily: Probiotics may help keep inflammation-causing "bad" gut bacteria in check.

Bottom line: Inflammation in any part of the body can contribute to whole-body inflammation. So, making healthy lifestyle choices may help to minimize chronic inflammation, along with a number of very serious health consequences.

Allen

September 26, 2012

I would have been skeptical of your report that time in front of the TV screen is all that dangerous, even if we exercise. Coincidentally, however, i read this article just today from our Boston NPR station that not only confirms what you're saying but they even go one step further and forecast exactly how much that hour in front of the TV will shorten your life (22 minutes!) http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/09/hour-tv-22-minutes-life

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